But John’s message was far simpler than the Adventist message today with three angels; impending mark of the beast; defining in exactness the creation and many more, Maybe if Adventists were only preaching John’s message there would be many more followers.
3 Likes
It should be noted that the early disciples also went through struggles and disagreements, even though they were “fully surrendered” The same can be said for the founders of this movement. Full surrender (how does one know one has it definitively until one’s life is on the line?) may not change one’s thinking or one’s priorities, but it should change one’s attitudes and affirmation of those who, equally well informed, simply disagree with you.
2 Likes
Well, wierdness is dandy if you’re an artist, entrepreneur, or other kind of creative person. But it’s not if you’re an 18 million-person strong international organization. I don’t think we want to be “lonely, lost, or forgotten,” although we’re on our way.
3 Likes
Very odd. A christian seeking God is convinced beyond a doubt that being God’s hands on earth is a ful- time mission. I am and every one I know is. SS is not a motivator of that. It is usually a demotivator for many of us as we see backward perfection-laced literalism battling grace and service attitudes in living color. SS is no factor in the Christian life unless that is the only study of God and scripture that one does.
This insight effectively strips the emperor clean of his clothes.
3 Likes
No, no, no - We’re talking about the “remnant” - the folk who are vindicating God’s character to the universe. This “message” has been on the go for over 150 years - that’s four or five generations. We have schooled our kids in church schools; and we have watched over them in the mothers’ rooms; and we have drilled memory verses and done the whole ball of wax. When is it going to take l - when will “God’s people” start acting like we expect them to? Or maybe they are. Maybe the church’s expectations aren’t God’s expectations. Maybe God isn’t waiting for anybody to vindicate Him. Maybe He’s already been vindicated at the cross. Maybe He has people who already have hearts and minds dedicated to Him. It’s just that we don’t recognize them; and keep beating the same old drum.
9 Likes
i actually find sabbath school more meaningful than church…today, for instance, as on a few other sabbaths, i attended sabbath school, but skipped church…
i did happen to be in church two weeks ago, and heard a presentation from one of our sabbath schools…they had organized a free, outdoor veggie haystacks stampede supper to tie in with the calgary’s stampede, “the greatest outdoor show on earth”…it was held in our church parking lot…apparently, a lot of people showed up and actually loved the food, and sabbath school members got the chance to socialize with non-adventists in an informal setting…some of our other sabbath schools have reached out to the non-adventist community in other ways…i think sabbath schools, because they’re smaller and more closely knit, can do a lot of good in the community…an entire church, on the other hand, may not have the same kind of success…
5 Likes
We all know struggles and disagreements. That’s not my concern. The article is once again lamenting the shortcomings of “God’s people”, looking for more commitment, as if that can be measured somehow. I’m sure there are committed people on both sides of all the issues. It all depends what they are committed to.
4 Likes
very well said and spot on.
4 Likes
great article…i hope danielle goes on to be an ordained minister…if her sermons end up being like this article, i’m sure she’ll be successful…
perhaps in time she can climb the ladder of management in nad…we could have used some of her perception in san antonio…
4 Likes
And how the international organization treats creatives is an important discussion for another day…
(Admittedly there is ongoing discussion on that topic, for example surrounding The Record Keeper movie…)
1 Like
guilt may very well be like physical pain…it’s there to provoke attention and change…without it, we may not realize something is wrong…
1 Like
As a whole, the Denomination (as does America, as a whole) still considers creativity either off-the point and useless (save “better mousetrap” applications) and, therefore, a potential for idle hands, and dangerous. Art production suffers most since the majority of middle-class Americans have neither the advantage nor the habit of being exposed to excellent work. “The Record Keeper” is illustrated belief told for purposes (not necessarily bad) of self-expression: it’s creative only in the sense that it didn’t exis,t and then, by human endeavor, it did. It fails in most of the hard-work ways any poor production fails—as a sum of mediocre parts. If you want a creative product based on belief, read C.S. Lewis.
Pici,
In your opinion, who are today those who preach the truth and those who are the antagonists to the truth?
2 Likes
Exactly!
What could possibly be the expectation beyond a person being converted to Christ, accepting Him as a personal Savior, being a member of the Christian family, having a decent life, and trusting God’s grace?
I think the perfectionist crowd is so insecure and fearful that they feel miserable all the time and want to just share their misery with others by imposing on them a guilt trip.
It’s like the donkey tied to a pole and cursing at those other donkeys that are calmly resting on the pasture, free of any ropes. Only that the donkey has no rope around his neck, he is just imagining the rope, and because of that he stays within three feet of the pole feeling as a prisoner. No wonder he needs some company…
2 Likes
Beware of social gospel… 
1 Like
I had a participant in my Sabbath School class, a retired baptist minister, turn up for the study and then disappear before the church service. And it wasn’t because there was something more important to go to.
2 Likes
My opinion is irrelevant. But Rev. 14:12 says, Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Many who should know better argue against keeping the commandments, claiming that they are not relevant to Christians. Ellen White articulates it quite well in Great Controversy. The “Everlasting Gospel” is the truth, but it is not popular. It encompasses the 3 angels’ messages, but many professed Adventists don’t believe it anymore.
We may be talking about the Remnant, but there are similarities between the Remnant today and the Remnant at the time of Christ. The message espoused by the Remnant today is no more popular than the message espoused by Jesus and John the Baptist. The problem is not the message; it’s that fact that “evil men wax worse and worse.” The devil has had 2000 more years practice to turn men from the truth. Jesus told us that few would find the way to salvation, so we shouldn’t expect the majority to accept the truth.
We will keep this in mind from now on… 
1 Like